Temple of Isis

Due to fears of this sacred complex to vanish underwater after building the Aswan High Dam, the Temple of the goddess Isis was moved from its original Philae Island and rebuilt on Agilkia Island. The temple complex dates back to Ptolemaic times. The cult of the goddess Isis was so powerful that even in Roman times pilgrims from all corners of the empire travelled to Philae to invoke the goddess’s healing powers.

The capitals of the elegant plant columns, of which no two are alike, demonstrate the Ptolemaic artisans capacity for creating intricate, natural detail. The reliefs on the walls are like a pharaonic style movie, showing you the story of Isis, her brother/husband Osiris and their son Horus: Once upon a time… there lived a king and his beautiful wife… Our Egyptologist guides will tell you the rest of the story. The human story can be seen as well: Early Christians transformed the main temple’s hypostyle into a chapel and defaced some of the old reliefs, while their inscriptions were in turn vandalised by the early Muslims. Nevertheless, the sacredness of the temple can still be felt on this beautiful island floating as a jewel in a pool of royal blue.